This essay provides an overview of the discussion within the learning sciences community surrounding the term “misconceptions.” Using examples of students’ incorrect ideas about evolution and ecology, the authors show that students’ naive ideas can provide the resources from which to build scientific understanding.
Biology student mastery regarding the mechanisms of diffusion and osmosis is difficult to achieve. To monitor comprehension of these processes among students at a large public university, we developed and validated an 18-item Osmosis and Diffusion Conceptual Assessment (ODCA). This assessment includes two-tiered items, some adopted or modified from the previously published Diffusion and Osmosis Diagnostic Test (DODT) and some newly developed items. The ODCA, a validated instrument containing fewer items than the DODT and emphasizing different content areas within the realm of osmosis and diffusion, better aligns with our curriculum. Creation of the ODCA involved removal of six DODT item pairs, modification of another six DODT item pairs, and development of three new item pairs addressing basic osmosis and diffusion concepts. Responses to ODCA items testing the same concepts as the DODT were remarkably similar to responses to the DODT collected from students 15 yr earlier, suggesting that student mastery regarding the mechanisms of diffusion and osmosis remains elusive.
A goal for biochemistry instructors is to support their students' ability to critically analyze protein structure and its relationship to function. To do this, biochemistry instructors strategically select representative protein systems and expose students to methods to visualize and manipulate those systems. This paper describes how PyMOL is integrated into a module on the myoglobin/hemoglobin system to elaborate the relationship between protein structure and function. Lecture slides, notes, PyMOL session files, and student activities are provided, in addition to representative examples of student work.
The central dogma of molecular biology is key to understanding the relationship between genotype and phenotype, although it remains a challenging concept to teach and learn. We describe an activity sequence that engages high school students directly in modeling the major processes of protein synthesis using the major components of translation. Students use a simple system of codes to generate paper chains, allowing them to learn why codons are three nucleotides in length, the purpose of start and stop codons, the importance of the promoter region, and how to use the genetic code. Furthermore, students actively derive solutions to the problems that cells face during translation, make connections between genotype and phenotype, and begin to recognize the results of mutations. This introductory activity can be used as an interactive means to support students as they learn the details of translation and molecular genetics.
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